Chapter 68

If Toni Stark had been acquainted with one thing very well over the years, it would be the press. Since she could remember, she'd been in front of them, giving conferences, showing off designs, or talking about major life changes.

And when she wasn't giving conferences, the rest of the world was constantly trying to know what was up with her. What major life changes were going on in her life. Anything to be able to make a story. Even if it weren't always true. Photos were doctored, stories fabricated, and it was something she knew all too well and had been a victim of more times than she could possibly count.

The other thing she knew all too well was that the press could be played like a fiddle. If she fed them a story, they would run with it. They'd have their own thoughts and manipulations of the content, yes, but with the same content out on multiple sites at once, it became harder for them to manipulate the truth.

And if she'd learned anything from Steve's conference, it also helped when one had an AI stream the entire thing live.

With Peter as her and Steve's adopted son, she knew it really was only a matter of time before the press found out about him.

She wished she could protect him; hide his identity so he'd be able to continue living his life without the burden of being a Stark placed on his shoulders. But that wasn't possible. Not when the world would find out the truth, one way or another, and whether she liked it or not. So instead, she and Steve decided, with Peter's permission, that they would announce their adoption of him to the world, on their own terms, and control the story that got spun.

So she and Steve walked together, side by side, to the podium in front of the press. She was wearing a blue pantsuit and high heels which helped her tower over the sitting media. She had a bright smile on her face, and she spoke the moment she reached the mic.

"Hello everyone," she said genially. "I'm sure you're wondering why we called you all here today."

"Does it have to do with why your wedding was moved up seven months?" a reporter called out, "You got married last month, despite not having it scheduled for this June. Why the change in date, Ms Stark?"

"Stark-Rogers, if you will," she said, "But yes, Ben, this does have to do with the reason my wedding date was moved up to be several months earlier. Thank you for asking."

"Stark-Rogers?" an older male reporter asked her suddenly, "Why did you decide not to take your husband's name? Are you pushing a new agenda?"

"Before I was Steve's wife, I was Toni Stark," she told the man sharply. "I still am Toni Stark. I've upheld the Stark legacy for as long as I've been alive. It was my grandfather's legacy. It was my father's legacy. And now it is mine. Marrying Steve doesn't suddenly make that legacy go away. It doesn't make me a different person. That's not what a marriage is about. It's about two people coming together to become a family. And that's what taking on the Stark-Rogers name does. It makes us a family. Now, if you will, I'd appreciate it if the rest of the questions could be held until the end of this conference. We have a lot to go over, and it would be easier to do so if we weren't being interrupted every five minutes."

Steve smiled at her and gave her a nod of approval and she continued on.

"In 2010, I held the first Stark Expo in several years, since my father's time really. And that year, you all remember what happened with the Hammer Drones. While it was a horrible tragedy, during that attack I came face to face with a young boy. One who had crafted his own replica of an Iron Woman helmet so perfectly that it fooled the drones into thinking he was me. While I saved the young boy, I found myself wanting to know more about him, so I dug into what was publicly available, and I approached his legal guardians, his aunt and uncle, about a possible mentorship program. I know that may be a lot to take in, given that it's a well-known fact that while Stark Industries offers several internships per year, I personally do not mentor any of the students. However, there was something I recognized in him that I recognized in myself," she said, smiling offstage to where Peter was.

"I recognized the same brilliance. The same desire to learn. Of course his aunt and uncle were sceptical at first, and not without reason, given the bizarre circumstances of it all," she smiled, "But over the years, Ben and May Parker and I have formed a friendship. And over the years my mentorship with their nephew Peter grew to be more than that. I thought of him as a son I never had, and cared deeply for all of them, as if they were my own family. However this past year was not kind to the Parkers. I will not discuss it too much out of respect to the family, but Ben Parker was the victim of a brutal robbery, and May Parker who had been ill did not make it through the news of her husband's passing. As such, that has left their nephew without any guardians," she said, looking at the room.

"I mentioned that I cared for Peter, and I do. He's become like family to me, and the thought of him all alone did not sit right with me, nor did it sit right with Steve. And while the process to take custody of a child is not a simple one, we found that it would be far simpler if we were married," she told the room. "Especially given our day jobs."

"At this time, Toni and I have taken full custody over Peter Parker," Steve said for the first time. "Yes, he is the reason that the two of us got married sooner, however neither of us have any regrets about moving our wedding date forward. He's a wonderful boy, and we are glad to add him to our family."

"I would like to remind the press as well as the rest of the world that Peter is first and foremost a minor. I know this is hardly a normal circumstance, but I ask that you respect our privacy at this time. If anyone attempts to breach our security, harass him in any way, post pictures of him without our explicit consent, or even remotely begin to make him feel uncomfortable due to his change in guardianship, then I will bring down the full force of the Stark Industry lawyers. Say what you will about Steve or I. But we ask that you leave Peter out of it," she said, glaring at them all, knowing that it wouldn't be enough to stop them. But the threat was out there, and the warnings issued. If anyone came for Peter, then she wouldn't be kind.

She nodded over at Steve, "We will now be opening the floor up to questions," she said, and immediately a hundred questions started getting thrown her way.

"Toni!" One of the reporters yelled her way, "The timing of this is awfully coincidental, don't you think? Given that the governments around the world have started mumbling about putting restrictions on the Avengers. What do you have to say about this? Does your adoption of this boy have to do with the timing of it all? Are you attempting to paint the Avengers in a better light by taking on charity?"

"Never refer to my son as a charity case," she said sharply, cutting him off then. "My adoption of Peter Parker has nothing to do with the happenings in the world and everything to do with the unfortunate circumstances of his guardians passing. Additionally, I will not have anyone refer to him in such a manner. Say what you will about me, and believe what you will, but know that mine and Steve's decision to take him in has everything to do with wanting him to have a home and giving him a loving, nurturing environment. Politics has nothing to do with this. Fear has nothing to do with this."

The reporter looked squeamish at that, and she glared pointedly at him until he sat back down.

Thankfully, the other reporters seemed to have gotten the message that such questions were not appropriate.

She looked over a Christine Everheart, the woman looking as put together as always as she stood up to ask her question, "Ms Stark-Rogers, first of all, let me wish you and your husband congratulations for your wedding. I do however, have a question about what this means for the future of Stark Industries. Even with the questions of your taking control of Stark Industries after your father's death, it was always assumed you would play some role or another. But since you came into power, you've made no moves to appoint any successors."

"Your question, Christine?" she asked with a smile of amusement, despite knowing exactly where the woman was going with it.

"My question," the woman said, continuing on. "Is whether your adopted son is now going to be next in line to take over Stark Industries. Aside from appointing Pepper Potts as Chief Operations Officer, you've made no moves to secure who would run your company after a time where you were to step down or-"

"Or I die as an Avenger?" Toni finished for the woman wryly. "You're right, I have not made any provisions for this. Peter Parker, for all intents and purposes, is the current heir to Stark Industries, my fortune, my properties, and all my other assets, until a time where Steve and I have additional children. At that point, he would split the assets with any future children we may or may not have."

"Are you saying this adopted child of yours is the heir and future CEO of Stark Industries?" the same older man who asked her about her hyphenated name asked suddenly.

"I'm saying," she said to the room, "That it is in his discretion if he wishes to become CEO or appoint someone in his place. His future career will be one of his choosing, and whatever he chooses to do, he has mine and Steve's full support."

"Will you allow him to be an Avenger?" Ben questioned, curiously.

"He's currently fourteen years old," Toni said with a laugh. "I'm not about to let him be an Avenger. That's a discussion for another day, years far from now. Preferably maybe when he's thirty."

There were some laughs in the room.

"The most important thing that we want everyone to take away from this is that Peter is our son now," Steve said then, placing a hand over hers in support. "He's a child, and one who is loved by all the Avengers. We want nothing more than to provide him with a loving home. We hope that those of you who are parents can understand that. And those of you who are not can respect that."

"Thank you," she said with a nod. "This will be all the questions we are taking for today. Stark Industries will release a formal statement later today to go into more details about what we have covered here today."

She and Steve walked off stage then, despite the questions continuing to come her way.

"Did you mean it?" Peter asked her in wonder as they came over to him. "Or was it just for the media?"

"Mean what?" she asked him gently.

"Are you actually giving me all of your assets?" he asked, overwhelmed.

"Peter," she said to him softly, "You're my son now. That means I'm going to make sure you're well taken care of if something happens to me. Before any of this, I'd set aside a small provision for you. But I never wanted to put any pressure on you, not the way my father did. He always raised me with the pressure of knowing I wouldn't live up to the legacy of the Stark name. I didn't want you to have that pressure on your shoulders. Stark Industries is yours in the future if you want it. And if you don't, then Steve and I will support any endeavour you chose to pursue."

He wrapped his arms around her tightly, and she held him, rubbing his back.

"You've done so much for me," he whispered. "And I don't know if I'll ever be able to thank you fully for it. I don't know if I'll ever be able to properly repay you."

"You don't need to, Darling," she told him tenderly. "You're family. And Steve and I would do anything for you. Anything to make sure you're happy."

"And anything to keep you safe," Steve added, placing a hand on Peter's shoulder. "That's what family does."

Peter smiled up at them both, and Toni's heart melted.

"Let's go get some burgers, shall we?" she asked them both. "I could use some food."

"Can we get milkshakes too?" Peter grinned, and Steve sighed.

"The two of you are determined to eat as unhealthy as possible, aren't you?" he groaned.

"Always, Sweetheart," she kissed Steve's cheek, before wrapping an arm around Peter's shoulder as they headed over to where Happy had parked the car.


Steve and Toni had talked to Peter explicitly before the press conference had happened, wanting to make sure that he was fully comfortable with the news of his adoption being out in the open before they went and announced it to the world.

And Peter understood their wary, because he knew the minute everyone had found out it would change things forever. He saw the way people sucked up to Flash at school because his father was rich, how they wanted to be his friend because it meant getting expensive gifts or hanging out in a mansion.

Telling the world meant people would expect the same thing as him. Or they would look at him like he was a charity case, adopted by the Stark-Rogers as a publicity stunt like the one reporter had so callously suggested.

So going to school that following Monday was not something he was looking forward to. It was one of the few times he'd let Happy drive him to school, mainly because Toni was worried there would be a large gathering of press in front of the school, despite Principal Morita's insistence that they wouldn't be allowed onto the properly. Still, she'd hesitated when Peter asked if it was still okay to take the subway to Queens, and he didn't push too hard.

Happy, thankfully, had driven him in a discrete black car; one of the ones Toni used when she didn't want to draw attention to herself by going in an expensive sports car, and he was grateful for that at least.

True to Principal Morita's word, the reporters didn't make it onto the school grounds. But that didn't mean that they weren't crowded outside the parking lot entrance, screaming questions his way as the car pulled up. It was enough to gather the student body as they watched him get out off the car.

"Have a good day, okay Kid?" Happy called out to him, almost, just almost, offering him a smile. It was more than Happy usually offered him, despite knowing Happy had a soft spot for him. "If anything happens, call me okay? I can come get you."

"Thanks Hap," he said with a nod. He took in a deep breath, as he slung his backpack over his shoulders and headed into the school.

The stares immediately started to follow him, and he watched his classmates, the same classmates who'd ignored him for the last few years, watch him like he was some sort of show.

"Peter!" he heard a familiar voice say, and he let out a sigh of relief as he saw Ned approach.

"Hey Ned," he grinned. "How was your weekend?"

"Oh you know, played some videogames, got a new lego set, which by the way you should totally come over and build with me sometime, and just watched my best friend in the entire world get announced as the heir to Stark Industries, which like dude," Ned said, with wide eyes. "Did you know?"

He shook his head, as he opened his locker, "It was news to me," he admitted, "But Toni said she didn't want to tell me before because she didn't want to put any pressure on me. And that if I don't want it, she understands."

"Wow," Ned breathed out, "She's really taking to this whole 'mom' thing, isn't she?"

"She is," he said, smiling at the thought, "I know she's trying really hard to make me feel like part of her family and I appreciate it, you know? She's done so much for me, and I just wish I could do something nice for her to let her know how much I appreciate everything."

"Get her flowers?" Ned suggested, "Mom always likes it when I get her some for Mother's Day. Or whenever Dad just picks some up on his way home from work because he was thinking of her. They really like things like that, you know small gestures that show how much you care about them."

"Maybe I'll ask Happy if we can stop by and get some on the way home," Peter said, thinking about it. He knew Toni loved it when Steve had gotten her flowers.

And after everything she'd done for him, he really just wanted her to know how grateful he was for it all.

"Do you feel special, Parker?" Flash said, coming up to him then. He could see the others gathering around, watching to see what had happened. No one else had bothered approaching Peter first, despite all the stares he'd been getting in his direction.

He supposed it was really only a matter of time before Flash decided he had something to say about the fact that Peter had been taken in by Steve and Toni. And apparently now was the perfect time for Flash to come talk about it.

"Flash," he greeted the boy, not really wanting to have a confrontation right now, despite what their usual interactions normally entailed.

"Avoiding the question?" Flash said, moving closer to him. "So what does it take for someone to get adopted by Toni Stark? Did you give her the sad little orphan spiel? Because don't think I believe for even a moment that you've secretly had an internship with Toni Stark since we were in elementary school. Because that's a load of crap if I've ever heard one. No way you would have been able to have kept such a thing a secret from everyone. You would have bragged about it, trying to use it to boost your popularity, just like you're using this adoption now."

"I don't need to prove anything to you," Peter said, trying to keep his temper level. "I've known Toni for years. I went to visit her in Malibu when she still lived there, and I've been to the Tower several times over the years. She's been mentoring me for the last five years. I don't care if you do or don't believe it; it's the truth. She adopted me for the reasons she said, because she cares about me and she and Steve didn't want me to end up in the system."

"Yeah right," Flash snorted, "The reporter was onto something when he asked if you were a charity case to them. Because think about it; why would Iron Woman and Captain America willingly take in a random orphan from Queens? You're nothing, Parker, and it's only a matter of time before they realize what a loser you really are. They may have adopted you out of pity, but I give it two months before they throw you back onto the streets once they've realized what a loser you are and try and give you back to anyone else who is willing to take you."

"Look, I don't care what you think about me," Peter said firmly, "I don't care if you want to spread rumours around about why I was adopted and what you personally think about it. I know the truth. Ned knows the truth. And Toni and Steve know the truth. And at the end of the day, that's all that matters. So if you disagree with it, then you're welcome to share your opinion with anyone who will listen, but that doesn't make it the truth."

"Looks like you got guts now, Parker," Flash sneered, shoving him against the locker. "Does living with Stark make you think that you're untouchable? You're still the little wimp you were a few weeks ago. Just because you got a new bed to sleep in doesn't change that."

He knew if he wanted to, he could shove Flash off of him in an instant. He could web Flash to the ceiling or throw him through walls if he needed to. He was Spider-Man. He'd been bit by a radioactive spider and he had the powers to stop this in an instant.

But that would be abusing his powers. That would be against what he was for. That his powers were his, and that they were a great responsibility he'd have to wield wisely. He couldn't do that, couldn't hurt innocent people, no matter how much of an asshole said people might be. He couldn't use his powers against regular civilians if they weren't putting other people in danger.

And Peter being shoved up against a locker certainly didn't constitute as other people being in danger.

So he didn't fight it, despite knowing if he wanted to he could push Flash off of him in a second. Didn't do anything to stop himself from being bullied, no matter how large the audience around them grew and how much he hated the way people were watching.

He saw the cellphones be taken out as well, as the incident was being filmed.

"Put him down, Flash," a female's voice said, and he looked up to see Michelle Jones push through the crowd. She was on Academic Decathalon with him, and while the pair barely spoke over the years, she was definitely one of the smartest people on the team.

"And what if I don't?" Flash taunted, looking over at her. "Are you going to stop me?"

"No," she said with a shrug, "But look around you. I give it five minutes before this ends up online, if even that long. You may not believe Toni Stark cares for Parker, but what do you think will happen when she sees this clip? Because she is going to see it, one way or another. Are you willing to take the chance that Stark doesn't care for her adopted son? Because if you're wrong, that's one angry Iron Woman who could be coming after you. And that's if she doesn't do anything to you as just Toni Stark."

Flash looked around, and saw the cellphone, noticing them for the first time, as he paled dramatically. He lowered Peter to the floor.

"Next time you won't be so lucky," Flash told him with a sneer, before stalking off. The crowd dispersed then, and he brushed off his clothes.

"You okay?" Ned said, with wide eyes.

"Yeah," Peter said, nodding quickly, as he looked over at Michelle, "Thanks."

She nodded at him, "No worries, Parker. Try not to make a habit of getting pushed into lockers. I may not always be around to save the day."

She shot him a wry smile before walking the other direction, as he was left staring after her.

"She terrifies me," Ned said, slightly awestruck.

"Me too," Peter agreed, as he watched her go.

He wasn't entirely sure what had just happened, but he was grateful nonetheless.

And he just hoped the remainder of the day wouldn't be as exciting.